Vehicle seat, in particular a motor-vehicle seat

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a vehicle seat, in particular for a motor vehicle, and equipped with a central control unit, motors, peripheral motor control devices each associated to one motor and connected to the central control unit. To allow rapid and accurate adjustments while providing versatility, the invention provides that each motor and its associated motor control device shall constitute a closed regulation loop.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor-vehicle seat. Suchmotor-vehicle seats offer high comfort, their motors besides adjustingthe position and the slope of the seat components also allowingadjusting further comfort-related functions such as air circulation,shaping the padding and pneumatically damping the padding elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The motors used in vehicle seats conventionally are driven fromthe central control system by means of a connection which in general isin radial form. This configuration entails substantial lengths of cable.If the set of vehicle functions is changed, the central program systemmust be re-programmed or possibly it must be exchanged against a newmodel.

[0003] The European patent document EP 0 230 203 A2 discloses a vehicleseat of the initially cited kind wherein each motor is combined with aperipheral motor control device that in turn is connected to a centralmotor control system. This central motor control system issues commandsto adjust all seat-adjusting motors and is also the space wherein thememory functions retrieving the final adjustment values take place. TheEuropean patent document EP 0834418A shows a vehicle seat for whichadjustment commands are multiplexed to the peripheral motor controldevices. Moreover said central motor control system manages controlcommands reversing the direction of rotation and memory functions.

[0004] However such designs incur the drawback, in particular, of beinginflexible with respect to subsequent alterations. Moreover largequantities of data must be stored and transferred on account of the datadetected by the sensors present in the seat and of the motor adjustmentscaused by the central control system, and as a result the dynamicresponse function may be restricted.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The objective of the present invention is to offer improvementsover the state of the art and in particular to create a flexiblyadjustable system allowing rapid and accurate adjustment.Advantageously, the present invention shall be implemented incomparative simplicity and at low cost.

[0006] This problem is solved by the vehicle seat defined in the presentinvention.

[0007] In the present invention, therefore, peripheral, closed loops arecreated each time using one motor and one peripheral motor controldevice. One or more functions may be carried out without datatransmission to the central control unit. The closed regulation loopstherefore are able to operate rapidly and reliably, in particular alsoin parallel and independently of one another. In particular the motorsmay be adjusting motors.

[0008] The functions implemented by the peripheral regulation loops inparticular may relate to adjust running to the right or left, detectingan angular speed, for instance using PWM (pulse width modulation),position detection by digital or analog sensors and/or positionregulation. Also using obstacle detectors, a corresponding adjustingmotor may be regulated in a manner that said seat shall not be movedagainst or beyond said obstacle.

[0009] In especially preferred manner, a memory function is present inthe closed regulation loop. In particular a slow-start and a learningfunction for the limit positions, e.g. stops, for instance also withtimed reset or timed setup may be implemented in the process.

[0010] The invention also allows including self-testing and misuseprotection in one or more closed regulation loops.

[0011] Moreover the functions of easy entry and/or easy exit relating tothe vehicle seat may be implemented in the closed regulation loop mode.As regards easy entry, the seat may be rapidly made accessible forentry, or be moved back. As regards easy exit, release or adjustmentallows easy exit, for instance when the ignition key is withdrawn. Forthat purpose and as called for, the control signals from the centralcontrol unit are applied if desired solely at the beginning of easyentry or easy exit operation to the pertinent peripheral motor controldevices of the corresponding regulating loops.

[0012] The central control unit may receive signals in particularthrough lines internal to the vehicle, for instance a CAN (controllerarea network) bus, and through user-actuated switches. The connectionbetween the central control unit and the peripheral motor controldevices advantageously may be implemented using a bus, for instance aserial LIN (local interconnect network) bus. Accordingly the centralcontrol unit also acts as an interface between data transmission systeminside the vehicle, for instance the CAN bus, and a data bus inside theseat. By using a bus system in the vehicle seat, substantially costsavings can be made, especially as compared with conventional radial,star-form circuits of the central control unit feeding the motor controldevices. Moreover the central control unit makes it possible tointerrupt the power to all the regulation loops.

[0013] The motor control devices in particular may be identical indesign, thereby enabling substantial reductions in costs. Illustrativelya programmable read-only-memory, for instance EPROM or EEPROM, may beprogrammed or flashed following manufacture of the particular peripheralmotor control device. In this manner the costs of the peripheral, closedregulation loops of the invention—in spite of the additionally requiredfunctions which must be implemented by the peripheral motor controldevices—may be kept low.

[0014] Alternatively the peripheral motor control devices also may beintegrated into the motors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The invention is elucidated below in relation to severalembodiments shown in the attached drawings.

[0016]FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a control system of a vehicle seatof the invention, and

[0017]FIG. 2 is an alternative embodiment to that of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An adjusting system 1 comprises a central control unit 2 which,in the embodiment mode of FIG. 1, is connected to feed lines 3 a, 4 aand to a CAN bus 5. Feed lines 3 b, 4 b internal to the seat run fromthe central control unit 2 into an omitted vehicle seat. Furthermore thecentral control unit 2 is connected to a serial LIN bus. A switch 6, forinstance an 8-pole switch, to be used by the operator for the variousvehicle-seat adjustment functions, is integrated in the shownembodiments into the central control unit 2. By means of an extensionadapter 8, further switches 6 may be used.

[0019] Several closed regulation loops mounted in parallel each compriseone peripheral motor control device 9 and one motor 10 driven by themotor control device 9. Illustratively the motors may be adjustingmotors to adjust a position and/or an attitude of a seat element or apadding zone; moreover said motors 10 may illustratively adjust apneumatic damper, or drive a blower etc. In this instance too the motorcontrol device 9 may receive signals, especially signals denotingposition or obstacles, that are emitted by omitted detectors, and usethem to regulate the motor 10. In this process regulation of positionwill be feasible, in other words, an inadmissible position may beaverted.

[0020] The motor control devices 9 are connected to the feed lines 3 b,4 b and to the LIN bus 7. In particular they may include storage formemory functions. The bus 7 may be expanded in relation to the bus'internal addresses. As regards the embodiment of FIG. 1, the centralcontrol unit 2 is able to make or break connection between the powerlines 3 a, 4 a and 3 b, 4 b. In this process a sleep mode of the closedregulation loop 9, 10 may be set in the central control unit 2.Protection by polarization is integrated into the central control unit2.

[0021] As regards the embodiment mode shown in FIG. 2, the power to theperipheral, closed regulation loops 9, 10 is provided by the power lines3, 4 which are not cut by the central control unit 2. In this embodimentthe central control unit 2 is connected in parallel to the motor controldevices 9 to the power lines 3, 4. A sleep mode of the motors 10 may beset by means of corresponding control commands from the central controlunit 2 to the motor control devices 9.

We claim:
 1. A vehicle seat comprising: a central control unit, motors,peripheral motor control devices each associated to one motor andconnected to the central control unit, wherein closed regulation loopsare constituted, each consisting of one of said motors and theperipheral motor control device associated to the motor.
 2. Vehicle seatas claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor control devices are connectedto one another and to the central control unit by a bus system. 3.Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bus system is a serialbus.
 4. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bus system maybe expanded to receive further motor control devices.
 5. Vehicle seat asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the motor control devices are connected tojoint power lines.
 6. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 5, wherein thepower lines issue from the central control unit.
 7. Vehicle seat asclaimed in claim 6, wherein the power lines issuing from the centralcontrol unit to the peripheral motor control devices are connected inpolarization-securing manner to the central control unit.
 8. Vehicleseat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central control unit and theperipheral motor control devices are connected in parallel to the powerlines.
 9. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe closed regulation loops assumes one or more of the followingfunctions: angular-speed detection, angular-speed regulation, detectionof direction of rotation, adjusting direction of rotation, detection ofposition, regulating position, obstacle detection, obstacle-detectedlimitation of excursion based on obstacle detection or on stops,protection against misuse, self-testing, easy-entry function to allowquick seat access or adjustment, easy-exit function to quickly releaseseat or adjust it, heat regulation, air circulation regulation,adjustment of seat pneumatics, adjustment of seat hydraulics. 10.Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 9, wherein the angular-speed regulationis carried out by means of PWM.
 11. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 9,wherein the angular-speed regulation is carried out as a function ofobstacle detection.
 12. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein atleast one closed regulation loop comprise(s) at least one memoryfunction including the storage of setpoint values in a memory of theperipheral motor control devices.
 13. Vehicle as claimed in claim 12,wherein the minimum of one closed regulation loop is fitted with atleast one memory function, one learning function for the initialdetermination of the setpoint values, including regular resetting ofsetpoint values.
 14. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sleepmode of the peripheral motor control devices and/or motors may beadjusted in the central control unit.
 15. Vehicle seat as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the peripheral motor control devices are integratedinto the motors.
 16. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein theperipheral motor control devices are identical in design but programmeddifferently.
 17. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the centralcontrol unit and the peripheral motor control devices are designed as amaster/slave control system.
 18. Vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1,wherein user-operated switches are present at or in the central controlunit in particular for the purpose of seat adjustment and in that, afteractuation of the switches, control signals shall be issued by saidcentral control unit to the peripheral motor control devices. 19.Vehicle equipped with at least one seat as claimed in claim 1, whereinuser-operated switches are mounted in the inner vehicle space,preferably at an arbitrary location in said space.